Reviews

Project: Snowblind

The control does a few other very clever things: it has an objective beacon, which shows you onscreen where your next objective is, as well as where the save points are (sadly, there's no save-anywhere feature). This can be toggled with the select button, and eliminates those times where you have no idea what to do next. I also appreciate the inventory management controls. You can either pick your weapon/item/augmentation in real-time with the D-pad, or hold L2 to pause action and manage equipment. The game controls well overall, with plenty of tweaking you can do to meet your own specifications.

Project Snowblind features a very comprehensive multiplayer component, which smartly makes use of the single-player features. For example, all players have the ability to hack things like doors and bombs. Modes consist mostly of standbys like capture the flag and deathmatch, but there is some creativity. "Hunter" mode is like deathmatch, but a pickup on the map makes you -- the nearly unstoppable Hunter -- invisible, with more health, all biomods, and all weapons. Everyone else is trying to take out the Hunter to become him. There's definitely enjoyment in online play, though I'm always bummed when no split-screen mode exists. You can network via LAN play, however.

Graphically, I can't complain with Snowblind's presentation -- though I wouldn't say I was blown away by it, either. Models are large and detailed, and the biomods beget some cool effects. The HUD is minimal, yet intuitive. I was surprised how much subtle environmental damage there was. It's far from Red Faction's Geo-Mod, but it's a nice touch. In the sound department, there's a good deal of speech.

Project: Snowblind is a rare breed of FPS these days, as it's both high in quality and uniqueness. The mechanics of Deus Ex work tremendously well in a high-intensity atmosphere, and the rest of the game's attributes fall into place as well. PS2 has been hurting for good action games since the calendar hit '05, and Project: Snowblind should fill the void nicely. I say pick this baby up.